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Background: Suicide is a major and complex public health problem. In Switzerland, suicide accounts for about 1000 deaths yearly and is the fourth leading cause of mortality. The first nationwide Swiss study of suicides identified eight male and four female occupations with statistically significant excess of suicide compared to the general Swiss population. Working time, self-employer status, low socio-economic status and low skill level required for occupation were associated with increase in suicide risk. Presently, we aim to compare the distribution of suicide risk across occupations with the prevalence of somatic and psychiatric morbidity in Swiss working-aged adults. We hypothesized that some diseases would cluster in particular occupations, indicating potential work-relatedness of suicides found in these occupations. Methods: We used the Swiss National Cohort (SNC) and included 10575 males and 2756 females deceased by suicide between 1990 and 2014. We estimated the prevalence of 16 categories of concomitant diseases in each occupation, using national mortality records, and assessed the homogeneity of diseases distribution across occupations. For diseases, which prevalence varied significantly across occupations, we analyzed the correlation with the distribution of suicide risk, estimated as the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of suicide. Results: Mental and behavioral disorders were the most commonly reported concomitant diseases in our population. In men, the prevalence of these disorders and more specifically, the prevalence of substance-related and addictive disorders, and of psychotic disorders varied significantly across occupations and was correlated with the SMR of suicide. The prevalence of malignant neoplasms and the prevalence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue also varied significantly across male occupations, while in women, such a variation was observed for neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior and diseases of the nervous system and sense organs, without being correlated with the SMR of suicide. Conclusion: Some of the identified morbidities can be occupation-related and could negatively affect the working capacity and the employability, which in turn could be related to the suicide. Disentangling concomitant diseases according to their work-relatedness and relationship with the suicide risk is important for identifying occupation-related suicides, understanding their characteristics, and developing appropriated interventions for their prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Evaluate the neonatal management and outcomes of neonates with prenatal diagnosis of esophageal atresia (EA) type A.Methods: This population-based study was conducted using data from the French National Register for infants with EA born from 2008 to 2014, including all cases of EA type A. We compared prenatal and neonatal characteristics and outcomes in children with prenatal diagnosis of EA type A with those with a postnatal diagnosis until the age of 1.Results: A total of 1118 live births with EA were recorded among which 88 (7.9%) were EA type A. Prenatal diagnoses were performed in 75 cases (85.2%), and counselling with a prenatal specialist was conducted in 84.8% of the prenatal group. Still within that group, the gestational age at delivery was significantly higher than in the postnatal group (36 [35-38] versus 34 [32-36] weeks; P = .048). Inborn births were more frequent in the prenatal group (86.1% vs 7.7%, P < .0001), and mortality and outcome were similar in both groups.Conclusion: Prenatal diagnosis is high in EA type A, which enables to offer an antenatal parental counseling and which avoids postnatal transfers. Prognosis of EA types A does not appear to be influenced by the prenatal diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potentially metabolically active components within the prokaryotic assemblages inhabiting the Antarctic Lake Limnopolar (Byers Peninsula, Maritime Antarctica) were investigated by a polyphasic approach which included culture-dependent and culture-independent methods (based on RNA molecules). Results support previous observations on the Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes dominance, followed by Actinobacteria, in Antarctic lakes. In particular, Alpha-, Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were mainly detected by CARD-FISH and cDNA cloning, whereas Gammaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria dominated within the cultivable fraction. Overall, this study demonstrates the survival potential and physiological heterogeneity of the prokaryotic community in the Lake Limnopolar. The microbial community composition in the lake is affected by external influences (such as marine environment by sea spray and seabird dropping, and microbial mats and mosses of the catchment). However, most external bacteria would be inactive, whereas typical polar taxa dominate the potentially active fraction and are subsidized by external nutrient sources, thus assuming the main biogeochemical roles within the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Niemann-Pick disease type C is a rare inherited neurodegenerative disease involving impaired intracellular lipid trafficking and accumulation of glycolipids in various tissues, including the brain. Miglustat, a reversible inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of progressive neurological manifestations in pediatric and adult patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C, and has been used in that indication in Europe since 2010.Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 16-year-old white French boy with late-infantile-onset Niemann-Pick disease type C who had the unusual presentation of early-onset behavioral disturbance and learning difficulties (aged 5) alongside epileptic seizures. Over time he developed characteristic, progressive vertical ophthalmoplegia, ataxic gait, and cerebellar syndrome; at age 10 he was diagnosed as having Niemann-Pick disease type C based on filipin staining and genetic analysis (heterozygous I1061T/R934X NPC1 mutations). He was commenced on miglustat therapy aged 11 and over the course of approximately 3 years he showed a global improvement as well as improved cognitive and ambulatory function. During this period he remained seizure free on antiepileptic therapy, using valproate and lamotrigine.Conclusions: Miglustat improved the neurological status of our patient, including seizure control. Based on our findings in this patient and previous published data, we discuss the importance of effective seizure control in neurological improvement in Niemann-Pick disease type C, and the relevance of cerebellar involvement as a possible link between these clinical phenomena. Thus the therapeutic efficacy of miglustat could be hypothesized as a substrate reduction effect on Purkinje cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital esophageal stenosis ( CES) is a rare clinical condition but is frequently associated with esophageal atresia ( EA). The aim of this study is to report the diagnosis, management, and outcome of CES associated with EA. Medical charts of CES- EA patients from Lille University Hospital, Sainte- Justine Hospital, and Montreal Children's Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Seventeen patients (13 boys) were included. The incidence of CES in patients with EA was 3.6%. Fifteen patients had a type C EA, one had a type A EA, and one had an isolated tracheoesophageal fistula. Seven patients had associated additional malformations. The mean age at diagnosis was 11.6 months. All but two patients had non-specific symptoms such as regurgitations or dysphagia. One CES was diagnosed at the time of surgical repair of EA. In 12 patients, CES was suspected based on abnormal barium swallow. In the remaining four, the diagnostic was confirmed by esophagoscopy. Eleven patients were treated by dilation only (1-3 dilations/patient). Six patients underwent surgery (resection and anastomosis) because of failure of attempted dilations (1-7 dilations/patient). Esophageal perforation was encountered in three patients (18%). Three patients had histologically proven tracheobronchial remnants. CES associated with EA is frequent. A high index of suspicion for CES must remain in the presence of EA. Dilatation may be effective to treat some of them, but perforation is frequent. Surgery may be required, especially in CES secondary to ectopic tracheobronchial remnants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many bacteria produce a wide range of volatile info-chemicals compounds (mVOCs) that constitute an important regulatory factor in the interrelationships among different organisms in microbial ecosystems. It has been shown that Antarctic bacteria isolated from three different sponge species, by producing mVOCs, are able to inhibit specifically the growth of Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) strains (i.e. opportunistic pathogens of cystic fibrosis patients) as demonstrated by cross-streaking inhibition assays. This study reports a metabolomics approach to investigate the volatile profile of both the Antarctic sponge-associated Pseudoalteromonas sp. TB41 (P-sp-TB41) and Burkholderia cenocepacia strain LMG16654 (Bc-LMG16654) under aerobic conditions. Solid phase micro extraction (SPME) in head space of biological samples allowed an in vivo sampling of mVOCs with minimal specimen disturbance. The SPME fiber was termically desorbed in the injection port of gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) system setted in EI scan mode. The raw data were processed using both an automated mass spectra deconvolution and identification system and a metabolomic approach, which allowed a selection of 30 compounds presumably responsible for the inhibition of Bc-LMG16654 growth. The results obtained from samples prepared under cross-streaking conditions also suggest that the presence of Bc-LMG16654 cells neither interferes with the production of mVOCs nor induces the synthesis of different mVOCs. The employing of mass spectrometry played a key role in tuning the experimental system and in the evaluation of results. The use of this approach to study the interaction, in aerobic condition, among other Antarctic bacteria and Bcc and the possibility to extend this approach to other pathogen-antagonist relationship, is currently in progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A description of the bacterial communities associated with the Mediterranean pennatulids (sea pens) Pennatula phosphorea and Pteroeides spinosum from the Straits of Messina (Italy) is reported. The automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis showed a marked difference between coral (tissues and mucus) and non-coral (underlying sediment and surrounding water) habitats. The diversity of the coral-associated communities was more deeply analysed by sequencing the 16S rRNA genes of bacterial clones. P. phosphorea and P. spinosum harbour distinct bacterial communities, indicating the occurrence of species-specific coral-associated bacteria. In addition, only few phylotypes were shared between mucus and tissues of the same pennatulid species, suggesting that there might be a sort of microhabitat partitioning between the associated microbial communities. The predominance of Alphaproteobacteria was observed for the communities associated with both tissues and mucus of P. phosphorea (84 and 58.2 % of total sequences, respectively). Conversely, the bacterial community in the mucus layer of P. spinosum was dominated by Alphaproteobacteria (74.2 %) as opposed to the tissue library that was dominated by the Gammaproteobacteria and Mollicutes (40.6 and 35.4 %, respectively). The antibacterial activity of 78 bacterial isolates against indicator organisms was assayed. Active isolates (15.4 %), which predominantly affiliated to Vibrio spp., were mainly obtained from coral mucus. Results from the present study enlarge our knowledge on the composition and antibacterial activity of coral-associated bacterial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the micronutrient status of children receiving prolonged enteral nutrition. Methods: This cross-sectional single-center study included all 64 children (median age 6.8 years) receiving enteral nutrition providing >50% of daily energy intake for more than 6 months (median duration of enteral nutrition 43 months). The characteristics of the patients and mode of enteral nutrition were recorded. The concentrations of iron, zinc, copper, selenium and vitamins A, D, E and C were measured in plasma. Results: Twelve children (19%) had iron deficiency. A high 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was recorded in 20% of the children, but none had associated hypercalcemia. Fifty-two children (81%) had low zinc concentrations in both plasma and erythrocytes. Plasma zinc, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D concentrations were significantly lower in children receiving fiber supplementation. Abnormal micronutrient concentrations were found more frequently in the children receiving fiber supplementation. No other predisposing factors were associated with micronutrient deficiencies. Conclusion: Long-term enteral nutrition can lead to micronutrient deficiencies in children, whose micronutrient concentrations may require regular checking. Fiber supplementation might reduce the bioavailability of zinc, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January and February 2009, a series of water samples were collected from streams on Byers Peninsula. These samples were analysed for major elements and δ18O to determine the role of lithology and landscape position on stream geochemistry, and to understand better the hydrology (i.e. residence time of water) of these systems. Precipitation chemistry is enriched in Na+, as are the streams located close to the coast. Streams originating from inland locations have much higher percentages of Ca2+. In contrast, Mg2+ varied little, though streams that are in greater contact with volcanic-derived soils have slightly higher concentrations. Anion percentages varied greatly between streams with SO42- ranging from 5% to 45% of the anion composition. Dissolved Si concentrations as high as 141 μM were observed. All these data suggest that active chemical weathering is occurring in this region. A time series over 13 days at one stream showed little variation in major element geochemistry. The δ18O of precipitation samples collected over this same period varied by ∼10‰ while the majority of stream samples varied less than ∼1.5‰. These data indicate that the stream waters represent mixtures of precipitation events, melting snow and water from the subsurface that had gained solutes through chemical weathering. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

mong sub-Antarctic ecosystems, the microbiology of the Straits of Magellan has been poorly documented due to the scarcity of observations. In this context, the spatial distribution of microbiological parameters, both in terms of abundance (total picoplankton and picophytoplankton, cultivable heterotrophic bacteria) and biochemical assays (adenosine triphosphate and lipolysaccharide estimations, as well as electron transport system activity), was investigated in the epipelagic layer along the Straits during late summer 1991 and early autumn 1995. The microbial dynamics showed significant variations along the Straits, with increasing values generally determined eastward both in 1991 and 1995. Microbiological results were additionally correlated with available data on the physico-chemical and biological properties of the analyzed water masses. Taking into consideration the whole dataset, the principal component analysis led to the identification of three main macro-areas along the Straits of Magellan (Paso Largo, Paso Ancho and Angostura/Isla Isabel) with different trophic features. This held true when the two cruises were individually considered, as well as when comparing each macro-area between the two cruises. Additionally, a first attempt to quantify the carbon flux through the microbial compartment within the main identified macro-areas was made. The present work will allow the gaining of further understanding of the microbiology of this under-investigated sub-Antarctic marine ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 253 hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacterial isolates were achieved from eight Antarctic surface seawater samples enriched on diesel oil at 4°C. Isolates were screened by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis prior to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sequences were compared to those in available databases using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool network service to determine their approximate phylogenetic affiliations. The majority of the isolates were affiliated to the Actinobacteria (75.9%) and the Gamma-Proteobacteria (22.9%). The Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacteria represented 0.8 and 0.4% of total isolates, respectively. The Actinobacteria were predominantly allocated to the genera Arthrobacter, Cryobacterium and Rhodococcus. The Gamma-Proteobacteria were mainly found to be related to the genus Pseudomonas. Conversely, the Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacterial isolates shared the highest degree of sequence identity with unclassified bacteria. Differences in the distribution of the detected phylotypes were observed among the analyzed samples. Isolates representing each phylotype were selected for further characterization, including phenotypic assays and screening for the growth ability in the presence of individual hydrocarburic substrates as the sole supplied carbon and energy source. Isolates possessed different patterns of substrate utilization. Aliphatic hydrocarbons supported the growth of a higher number of isolates than aromatics. Results confirm the ability of our Antarctic marine bacteria to utilize hydrocarbons at low temperature and therefore suggesting that isolates with different substrate specificities can act in nature as a consortium in the utilization of complex hydrocarburic mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ionian Sea represents a suitable basin for studying the biogeochemical processes mediated by microbial activities. Because of its characteristics as a crossing region between the western and eastern Mediterranean Sea, it is one of the sites most affected by changes in water mass composition and dynamics, caused by the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT). To date, relatively few data exist on microbial activities in pelagic areas of the Ionian Sea. From 1998 to 2004, during different research cruises, prokaryotic parameters (abundance, extracellular enzyme activities leucine aminopeptidase, β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, bacterial production and respiration) were measured together with culturable bacteria and the main physical, chemical and trophic parameters (temperature, salinity, nutrients, particulated organic matter). The aim of the study was to describe the spatial and temporal variability in microbial activities involved in the carbon and phosphorus cycles, in different layers. Results showed that organic matter transformation mediated by the microbial community displayed a significant increase in autumn, highlighting the occurrence of significant changes at meso- and bathypelagic depths. Unlike the dark ocean, bacterial growth efficiency in the Ionian Sea, which increased with depth, seemed to vary from being a source of carbon in the epipelagic layer to a sink in the meso- and bathypelagic layers. The mechanism of phosphatase regulation showed a weak inverse correlation between specific phosphatase and inorganic P in all seasons except autumn. It is worth mentioning that the reported results constitute, to the best of our knowledge, one of the available datasets giving information about microbial activities in the Ionian Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of the present work was to characterize the heterotrophic bacterial community of a marine recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). Methods and Results: An experimental RAS was sampled for the rearing water (RW) and inside the biofilter. Samples were analysed for bacterial abundances, community structure and composition by using a combination of culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The most represented species detected among biofilter clones was Pseudomonas stutzeri, while Ruegeria spp. and Roseobacter spp. were more abundant among isolates. In comparison, the genera Roseobacter and Ruegeria were well represented in both the biofilter and the RW samples. A variety of possible bacterial pathogens (e.g. Vibrio spp., Erwinia spp. and Coxiella spp.) were also identified in this study. Conclusions: Results revealed that the bacterial community in the RW was quite different to that associated with the biofilter. Moreover, data obtained suggest that the whole bacterial community can be involved in maintaining an effective and a stable rearing environment (shelter effect). Significance and Impact of the Study: Improving the reliability and the sustainability of RAS depends on the correct management of the bacterial populations inside it. This study furnishes more accurate information on the bacterial populations and better clarifies the existing relationships between the bacterial flora in the RW and that associated with the biofilter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the lipolytic activity of cold-adapted Antarctic marine bacteria and, furthermore, the combined effect of some environmental factors on this enzymatic process. Methods and Results: Strains were assayed for lipolytic activity on a basal medium amended with seven individual fatty acid esters. A significant activity was observed for 148 isolates (95·5% of the total screened). The interactive effect of pH, temperature and NaCl concentration on the substrates was tested for six representative isolates, identified as Pseudoalteromonas, Psychrobacter and Vibrio. Differences between strains according to NaCl and pH tolerances were observed. Only one strain degraded the substrate more efficiently at 4°C than at 15°C. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the lipolytic activity of Antarctic marine bacteria is rather variable, depending on culture conditions, and occurs in a wide range of salt concentration and pH. Significance and Impact of the Study: Isolation and characterization of bacteria that are able to efficiently remove lipids at low temperatures will provide insight into the possibility to use cold-adapted bacteria as a source of exploitable enzymes. Moreover, research on the interactive effects of salt concentration, pH and temperature will be useful to understand the true enzyme potentialities for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recent European studies have shown that growth retardation is common in people with phenylketonuria (PKU) during the first years of life while they receive a low-phenylalanine (Phe) diet. The aims of the present study were to assess the growth of our PKU patients and to search for nutritional and hormonal explanations for the growth delay. Twenty PKU patients aged 8 months to 7 years entered the study. The design was cross-sectional, a longitudinal study having already been performed in our centre. The following data were recorded: weight/height (W/H), height/age (H/A), and weight/age (W/A) Z-scores; fat-free mass (measured from bioelectrical impedometry (FFM1), and skinfold thickness (FFMA). Thyroid hormones, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP3), selenium, zinc, and Phe blood levels were measured. Dietary intake was also recorded over 4 days. PKU patients were moderately but significantly shorter (H/A Z-score varied from −2.12 to 1.61; mean −0.49) and lighter (W/A Z-score varied from −2.58 to 1.49; mean −0.71) than the French reference population. Body composition was not different from that of controls matched for age and sex. IGF1, IGFBP3, and thyroid hormone levels were within normal range. All children received more than two-thirds of the recommended daily allowances for energy (91%±18%) and for proteins (146%±26%). The mean daily intake of our patients was sufficient in selenium, but markedly deficient in zinc (2.4±2.2 mg/day). No correlation was found between zinc daily intake or zinc plasma levels and growth retardation. Moreover, no relation was found between the plasma Phe concentrations, protein or caloric intake and the presence of growth retardation. Our results show that growth retardation in PKU patients is not related to hormonal or caloric deficiencies. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of various nutrient supplementation regimens (especially zinc) on the growth of PKU patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total energy expenditure (EE) can be assessed in children by the heart-rate (HR) monitoring technique calibrated against open-circuit indirect calorimetry (IC). In this technique, sleeping EE is usually estimated as the lowest value of a 30 min resting EE measurement??0??90 to give an average for the total sleeping period. However, sleeping is a dynamic process in which sleeping EE is modulated by the effect of factors such as body movement and different sleep stages. The aim of the present study was to determine a new method to improve the sleeping EE measurement by taking into account body movements during sleep. Twenty-four non-obese children participated in the present study. All subjects passed through a calibration period. HR and EE measured by IC were simultaneously collected during resting, the postprandial period, and during different levels of activity. Different methods for computing sleeping EE (resting EE??0??90 with different breakpoints (???flex point??? HR with linear regression or ???inflection point??? (IP) HR with the third order polynomial regression equation (P3)) were compared with EE measured for least 2??0 h in eight sleeping children. The best method of calculation was then tested in sixteen children undergoing HR monitoring and with a body movement detector. In a subset of eight children undergoing simultaneous sleeping EE measurement by IC and HR, the use of the equation resting EE??0??8 when HRIP during the sleeping period gave the lowest difference (1 (SD 5??4) %) compared with other methods (linear or polynomial regressions). The new formula was tested in an independent subset of sixteen other children. The difference between sleeping ee computed with the formula resting EE??0??90 and sleeping EE computed with resting EE??0??8 when HRIP during sleeping periods was significant (13 (sd 5??9)%) only for active sleeping subjects (n 6 of 16 subjects). The correlation between the difference in the results from the two methods of calculation and body movements was close (r 0??63, P<0??005, Spearman test) as well as computed sleeping EE (Spearman test, r 0??679, P<0??001), indicating that this new method is reliable for computing sleeping EE with HR monitoring if children are moving during sleep and improves the total EE assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Determining total energy expenditure (EE) in children under free-living conditions has become of increasingly clinical interest. The aim of this study was to compare three different methods to assess EE triaxial accelerometry (TriTrac-R3D; Professional Products, Division of Reining International, Madison, WI, USA), activity diary and heart-rate (HR) monitoring combined with indirect calorimetry (IC). Twenty non-obese children and adolescents, aged 5.5 to 16.0 years, participated in this study. Results from the three methods were collected simultaneously under free-living conditions during the same 24 h schoolday period. Neither activity diary (5904 (SD 1756) KJ) NOR THE TRITRAC-R3D (6389 (sd 979) kJ) showed statistical differences in 24 h total EE compared with HR monitoring (5965 (sd 1911) kJ). When considering different physical activity (PA) periods, compared with HR monitoring, activity diary underestimates total EE during sedentary periods (P<0??001) and overestimates total EE and PA-EE during PA periods (P<0??001) because of the high energy cost equivalence of activity levels. The TriTrac-R3D, compared with HR monitoring, shows good agreement for assessing PA-EE during PA periods (mean difference +0??25 (sd 1??9) kJ/min; 95 % CI for the bias -0??08, 0??58), but underestimates PA-EE and it does not show good precision during sedentary periods (-0??87 (sd 1??4) kJ/min, P<0??001). Correlation between the vector magnitude generated by the TriTrac-R3D accelerometer and EE of activities derived from HR monitoring is high. When compared with the HR method, the TriTrac-R3D and activity diary are not systematically accurate and must be carefully used for the assessment of children's EE depending on the purpose of each study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Surface pressure reduction in hurricanes is calculated by applying the total energy equation (TEE) to ideal isentropic upflow in a vertical tube. The pressure reduction at the base of the tube, called the intensity, is calculated for three upflow processes: reversible upflow of air approaching equilibrium with the sea at the sea level pressure outside the tube; irreversible upflow of air approaching equilibrium with the sea at the sea-level pressure outside the tube; and upflow of air approaching equilibrium with the sea at the reduced surface pressure inside the tube. The sensitivity of intensity to the type of upflow process and to the sea surface temperature is investigated. Intensities calculated with the TEE are shown to be consistent with observations and to be close to intensities calculated with more complex methods. The TEE method is simple and can help understand the basic mechanism responsible for surface pressure reduction and for energy production. The method is used to show that approximately 20% of the heat taken from the sea during a hurricane is converted to mechanical energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Data on the proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole in paediatric patients are limited. Aim: To investigate the pharmacokinetics, optimal dosage and efficacy of lansoprazole in paediatric patients. Methods: A 24-h gastric pH recording and a pharmacokinetic study were performed after 7 days of lansoprazole, 17 mg/m2, in 23 patients with reflux oesophagitis (median age, 3.5 years). Response was defined as pH > 3 for > 65% of the recording. The dosage was doubled in non-responders. Patients with no response on day 14 were excluded. Responders underwent endoscopy after 4 weeks on the response-inducing dosage; abnormal findings led to a repeat endoscopy after four additional weeks. Results: Nine patients responded to 17 mg/m2 and six to 30.3 mg/m2. On day 7, time with pH > 3 was significantly correlated with the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (P=0.003). The area under the plasma concentration–time curve was significantly greater in the nine responders to 17 mg/m2 than in the 14 other patients. Pharmacokinetic parameters were similar in responders and non-responders to the higher dose. After 4 weeks, oesophagitis was healed in 80% of responders. Adverse events occurred in three patients and required treatment discontinuation in one. Conclusions: Lansoprazole is effective and safe in children. The optimal starting dosage is 30 mg/m2 or 1.4 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

¶Closed ideal thermodynamic cycles are used to analyze the atmospheric upward heat convection process which is compared to the Brayton gas-turbine cycle. The heat to work conversion efficiency of the atmosphere is shown to be close to the Carnot efficiency calculated using the average temperatures at which heat is received and given up for hot and cold source temperatures, respectively. The efficiency is independent of whether the lifting process is discontinuous or continuous, and nearly independent of whether the heat is transported as sensible or as latent heat. The total energy given up by an air mass going through any process is shown to be equal to the reduction in its static-energy. For a given sounding, there is a definite quantity of work which can be produced per unit mass of air raised. The paper investigates how updraft and sounding properties affect the work produced when air is raised and shows that the work can be transferred downward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutritional support is often necessary in chronic liver disease in childhood, and when enteral nutrition is insufficient, parenteral nutrition (PN) can be envisaged as a last resort. Pediatric experience is still limited in this indication. Seven children with severe liver disease received PN for a mean duration of 105 d, with additional enteral nutrition. Clinical tolerance was assessed and anthropometric and biological data were compared at the beginning and at the end of the study by the paired non‐parametric test of Wilcoxon. Weight change, expressed as weight‐for‐age or weight‐for‐height Z‐scores, increased. Conjugated bilirubin increased significantly. This retrospective study suggests that PN is a well‐tolerated method for maintaining nutritional status in pediatric chronic liver disease when enteral nutrition has failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were prepared against the Mebus strain of bovine enteric coronavirus, 14 of them reacting with the peplomeric S (gp 100) glycoprotein. Competition binding assays allowed the definition of at least 4 distinct antigenic domains for the S glycoprotein, designated as A, B, C, and D; epitopes associated to neutralizing activity being located in sites A, B, and C. One MAb directed to the hemagglutinin HE (gp 140/gp 65) glycoprotein inhibited the hemagglutinating activity of the virus, but had no neutralizing activity. Comparison of Quebec enteropathogenic BCV isolates using polyclonal antiserum and MAbs directed to the S glycoprotein confirmed their close antigenic relationship, but also revealed the occurrence of at least three distinct antigenic subgroups. Antigenic domain D was highly conserved among BCV isolates, as well as non-neutralizing epitopes assigned to antigenic domains A and C. The Minnesota strain of turkey enteric coronavirus could be distinguished from BCV isolates by MAbs directed to epitopes of antigenic domain C, whereas human coronavirus HCV-OC 43 could be distinguished by MAbs directed to epitopes of antigenic domain A. The porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus could be distinguished from the other hemagglutinating coronaviruses by neutralizing epitopes located on antigenic domains A, B, and C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Anorexia and weight loss are frequently reported as adverse effects during recombinant interferon alpha (rIFN-alpha) treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess both nutritional status and growth of children and adolescents treated with rIFN-alpha for chronic viral hepatitis. Eleven patients aged 4-16 years with histologically proven chronic active hepatitis (hepatitis B, n = 9; hepatitis C, n = 2) receiving rIFN-alpha subcutaneously thrice a week for 6 months were studied. Weight and height increments were assessed during the 6 months before starting rIFN-alpha. Weight and height were measured every 3 months (M0, M3, M6) during the 6 months of rIFN-alpha treatment, then every 6 months during the follow up period (6-36 months). Weight decreased in every child during rIFN-alpha treatment (weight loss varies from 0.5 to 2.6 kg after 3 months of treatment). Weight/age Z-score decreased from 0.12 at M0 to -0.69 at M3 (P < 0.01), then increased between M3 and M6 (-0.33) (P < 0.01), but normalized (0.02) only 6 months after completion of treatment. Nutritional status was significantly impaired during treatment (Z-score for weight/height decreased from 0.18 at M0 to -0.74 at M3, P < 0.01) and recovered progressively thereafter. Height and height velocity were not modified by rIFN-alpha treatment. A reduction of the caloric intake observed between M0 and M3 might explain these features.Conclusion: Significant but transient abnormalities of the nutritional status are encountered constantly at the beginning of rIFN-alpha therapy without any deleterious effect on growth. Information of the families and nutritional intervention during treatment should be required, in order to limit the importance of weight loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]